Discussions By Condition: Knee conditions

knock knees at age 26!

Does anybody know what i could do to correct my knock-knees? I am 26 years old and have heard people say it's too late, but i have not given up hope. I feel very embarrased especially when I put on pants or skirts that are not ankle-length. I try to hide my gait as much as possible when i walk, and i feel really uncomfortable. Is there a way I could solve my problem, does anyone have an idea?

91 Replies:

Hi there, I understand what you're going through! I'm almost 21 and can't stand pics that show anything below my waist. Online research seems to show that surgery is the only way, but even then, sites recommend it for those at the age of 10! Wish I had a solution, but still looking for one myself.

well im 14 and I have a slight condition of knock knees! and you guys are done with high school and stuff and well im still growing up! and you think your embarrassed! ... but no offense i mean this in a nice way and not an insulting way.

Im 17 and i have knock-knees...just dont know how to get rid of them..my physiotherapist said it could be due to the fact i am walking slightly on the insides of my feet...although my dad had the same problem and so did my aunty (his sister)...maybe its a genetic thing? :-S i hate my legs because of this and never ever wear skirts or shorts.

Im 18 and I have knock knee's. I feel extremely self concious about it. I mean, I cant even walk across a room without wondering if some1 has noticed my legs. I dont think I look good in skirts, but wearing pants doesnt hide it completely either. I would give anything to correct this awfull problem. I once heard that there is a kind of leg brace that can help. Does anyone know of that?

The bone is your thigh (the femur) is set in the hip socket at an angle which is normal so everyone with no pathology has a bit of knock knees. Women tend to have more of an angle than men due to wider hips generally. Try looking for exercises to strengthen the abductor and external rotator muscles of your legs. If may just be that your muscles that pull your legs out away from the knock knees position are just weak.

I'm 18 and i have an extream case of knock knees. My gp passed me onto a specialest at the page of 9 months and all through my child years they were sitting and waiting for me to reach the age to where i was ment to of gorwn out of it, once i reached that age they said i was too old, i mean, for god sake! I walk like an idiot, i'm studying sports and get told i run funny, i walk funny when i run and change direction my knees flick back and fling forwards and i fall!!! everyone laughs and my gp rekons there is nothing wrong! I'm currently getting money together to visit harley steet. My left knee once "dislocated" and chucked me to the floor and yet the hospitle said nothing had happend, is it me or does no one listen!!!

If you are really dedicated you can correct your knees with lots of yoga! Also someone else recommended exericises that targeted your hips which will help. I'm 29 and knock kneed but when I was 26 I started doing yoga to straiten my legs and they no longer touch or bump when I run. Of course I don't like to run because I'm afraid someone will laugh at me. It bothers me less and less as time goes by and if I was really embarrassed I would do lots more yoga! check out the book Sturctural Yoga Therapy

I know how you feel. You would think at age 50 I would be over this feeling, but it's worse now that I pay more attention to my body. I work out a lot at the gym now and have begun to run sprints in the masters and senior olympics. I guess I never grew up. It's really bad in the gym when certain ladies are around me and my friend and they seem to show off their near perfect bodies stretching and prancing around, and then I look at myself and just want to hide. I wished I didn't feel this way, I wish I didn't look this way. Can any yoga help me at my age. If so I'll do it.

i am knocked knee my othro surgeon diagnosed me with i was in constant pain though i have had major knee surgeries on both of my knees i am going in may for more it is worth it if it causes you pain my knee would always gave out and lock etc they therapy is the worst part by the way i am 21 i also have tracking problems with my knee caps

I am 21 and i have knock knees, very embarassing. i never wear shorts and skirts. it hurts even more when people make fun of you. i think this runs in my family since i am not the only one. i am almost positive that yoga will help as this increases flexibility in the bones. i also want to learn to do splits right down as i think this will reverse my protruding knees over time. i have started doing my splits little by little as i can't go all the way down yet

I am 23 and also "suffer" from having knock knees. I am in law school and am frequently interviewing for clerkships and internships. Every time I go to an interview I feel self-conscious that the employer notices my large gait when I walk into and out of their office. I have had difficulties with shin-splits and being able to run effectively. I have asked my brother, a 3rd year med. student, if surgery is too late for me. He seems to think that I if I get surgery now, I will never be able to run "as well" as I do now. Please, if anyone knows of surgical procedures to fix this problem, let me know. I love wearing shorts in the summer and feel that my knee problem is less noticeable when I wear shorts; when I wear pants it feels like all the material goes inward and then flares out at the ankles. Some people have asked me if I had knee problems or knee surgery before; it's pretty embarrassing to say no; I was just born like this. Thanks

I have been knock kneed my whole life and at 29 it is still at times hard to deal with. I don't care anymore about what people say, and I always walk with confidence in skirts. However the teasing from IGNORANT people got me down growing up!!! I have learned that those that tease you, it's really a reflection of themselves. My man loves my legs and that tells me that a person should love you for who you are .....NOT how you legs come together.... I want to ask all of you....WILL you love your self more after surgery???? I doubt it....lOVE your self now........ before it's too LATE!!!!Peace and love.....to all my KNOCK KNEED LADIES

I am 27 with knock knees and I guess it is embarassing at times but I am more worried about the pain later in life. If I get up too fast, I get shooting pain through my knees. I also can't stand how I go through shoes. Because of my funny walk, they wear down on one side.I started doing yoga last week and I noticed just in one session with my teacher correcting my posture that the muscles in my legs were pulling at my knees and the muscles in my feet were being pulled in directions they weren't used to. It felt actually really good and maybe over time, it will correct it a bit.

My son was diagnosed with one severe knock knee when he was 16 (3 yrs. ago). We were told it was hereditary - that if we researched our family we would find others with this problem, (can't find anyone) - and that it was something he would "have to live with". We wasted a year and a half with a doctor while the problem got worse. Finally, we took him to Shriner's Hospital in Erie, PA. We were told that a growth plate above his knee had prematurely stopped growing from the outside (of his leg) in, causing the knock knee. (When this particular growth plate stops growing from the inside out, it causes the leg to bow). The surgery was a huge success. He wore a device on/in his leg, and the knee was corrected in a matter of weeks. Anyone under the age of 18 with an orthopedic problem needs to apply to Shriner's. These people absolutely work miracles and there is no charge. God bless Shriner's Hospitals. They are throughout the country.

I am now 31 and have been knock-kneed AND pigeon-toed all my life. I was born with bilateral congenital talipes equinovarus - more commonly known as club feet. I had both feet clubbed. Surgery was performed very early (I think I was about 6 hours old!) and I had to wear calipers for 18 months. I learnt to walk at about 2.When I was 10, I was playing on a jumping castle at our school fete. Upon jumping off the castle, I must've landed wrong or something as my right knee DISLOCATED! Not a fun thing to happen when you're 10. Since then, I've had problem after problem with both knees (my left kneecap first dislocated - quite spectacularly I might add - at 13), had a full reconstruction on my right knee at 15 (I was lazy and didn't do the physio exercises...STUPID!).The funny thing about all this is I could jump from 3 metres and not have anything happen, yet can be walking along, minding my own business, and next thing I go down in a screaming heap. It could be that I stood on something as small as a crack in the footpath or a stone.I might add that, after 20-odd years of this sort of caper, you do get very tolerant of pain. Still shocks the ***l out of you when it does happen though.Growing up in sport mad Australia, I wore the taunts of fellow school kids (who can really be cruel) and thus never had much of a go when it came to sport.I wear shorts all the time, drive road trains for a living but I restrict myself to doing things that wont put me in a spot of bother should things in the knee department go pear-shaped.The doctors reckon there's nothing they can do short of major major surgery.I've lived with it so far, but dread what the future holds.

People, before planning surgery... try corrective exersizes! Buy the book 'Structural Yoga Therapy' by Mukunda Stiles. He cured himself of knock knees with special yoga exersizes that strengthen certain muscles in the leg(s) and loosening others so the alignment of the bones is corrected by the muscles (eventually). In his book he describes how to detect which muscles cause the problems and how to correct these problems with exersizes. Just give it a serious try! You could also go to see a Rolfer (Rolfing practitioner). Rolfing also work according to the principle of manipulating soft tissue/ muscles to correct problems with bone alignment (also knock knees). Good luck!

I know the feeling I am 16 and knock kneed. My cousins always pick on me when i run and it is horrible! I heard putting pillows between your legs before you go to sleep will help but it is sooo uncomfortable to me so I cant sleep that way!I really dont want to go to surgery but when I go to the doctor he is saying therre is nothing wrong with me. How cruel are doctors? Anyways iif anyone finds a sure answer to this giive us some advice! II cant even where akinny jeans anymore... have learned ....bell bottoms are your friend. :)

I'm 20 and I also have knock knees. I really dislike it and i notice that some muscles in my legs are really flexible and others very inflexible - I don't know if this is related. I don't like the appearance but I've never been teased, I'm suprised some of you have as I didn't think it was the type of thing people really noticed or cared about, if it happens to any of you youngsters again just tell them their pathetic for examining and judging your body like that - don't they have anything more important things to think about!I sometimes get sore knees after a long day on my feet without supportive shoes so i get worried about knee problems in the future, I think I will try that book someone recommended - thanks for the tip!

I am 30 and also have knock knees. It is very embarrassing. Like most of you, I am overly concerned with other people starring. Not a lot of people have made fun of me, but I know when people have noticed, and that hurts almost as bad. I was diagnosed with osteomalacia when I was 12. This disease caused my knock knees (until then I didn't even know that I had them.) If the doctors had suggested corrective surgery then, I would have had a chance for it to be a relatively simple procedure. But as it turns out, I didn't even find out about the surgery until I was about 16 and then it was too late. Now, after talking to a different doctor, she did say that there is a surgery where they cut a wedge out of the femer to straighten the leg. I would have this done, but my bone condition prevents me prevents me from healing properly. Anyway, it's just really nice to hear other people talk about the same issues that are associated with this condition.By the way, to the person who asked if I would really feel better about myself after surgery...YES I WOULD! If you had a big wart on your hand, you would have it removed. I don't want other people to judge me based on what I look like, heck, I don't want to judge myself, but it is a fact of life. I am sick of feeling like everyone is looking at me. I would like to wear shorts or short skirts. And I would like my knees to stop dislocating.

hi i'm a 22 male and just recently discovered that i have a minor case of knock kneeism. i guess i just never examined my legs close enough. i remember playing softball and a kid yelling to me, "you run like a duck!" but i never thought twice about it. now i know i'm stricken with this ridiculous thing. an orthopaedic prescribed me orthotics and told me yoga was the best thing to do correct it. i suppose losing thirty pounds will help as well. this thread makes me feel better as i see i'm not the only one. strength